Legislation

Nevada Looks At Establishing Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 7, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation

A bill currently before the Nevada Legislature would create a system to provide safe access to cannabis for qualified patients under the state’s medical marijuana law.

Sen. Mike Schneider (D-Las Vegas) on Wednesday asked the Commerce and Labor Committee, which he chairs, to support the dispensary bill, reports Geoff Dornan at the Nevada Appeal. The current system allows those with a legitimate medical need to get a card permitting them to use marijuana, but provides no mechanism for safe access.

Nevada needs to allow the creation of a system that fixes that problem, according to Schneider.

Mayor Approves Final Medical Marijuana Rules For D.C.

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 6, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: The Georgetowner

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray on Wednesday approved final regulations for medical marijuana in the District of Columbia.

More than 12 years after D.C. voters overwhelmingly passed a medical marijuana ballot initiative, seriously ill residents of the District of Columbia will finally be able to begin using cannabis to treat certain medical conditions.

On Wednesday, Mayor Vincent Gray approved the final regulations on the licensing, distribution, and use of medical marijuana in the District. The full regulations will be published officially on April 15. The City Council has 30 days to review the regulations, but they will go into effect immediately on that date.

Colorado Congressman: Feds Should Butt Out Of Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 6, 2011 Legislation, News

Photo: OutFront Colorado

Congressman Jared Polis: “I don’t see a federal role. Just as the policy of prohibition failed nationally with alcohol — it’s now up to states and counties — I think we should do the same with marijuana”

Colorado Democratic Rep. Jared Polis said on Wednesday that the federal government should not be in the business of regulating marijuana use by Americans.

“I don’t see a federal role,” Congressman Polis said in a “Washington Unplugged” interview, reports Brian Montopoli at CBS News. “I don’t think that the federal side should be coming in and second guessing what states are doing.”

Polis represents a state — Colorado — that allows medical marijuana use. There is also a push in the Rocky Mountain State for full legalization.

“Just as the policy of prohibition failed nationally with alcohol — it’s now up to states and counties — I think we should do the same with marijuana,” Polis said.

Colorado’s medical marijuana regulatory structure has been a model for other states, according to Polis, who pointed to the monitoring of production and dispensaries as well as background checks.

CA Med Marijuana Employment Rights Approved By Committee

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 5, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Steve Rhodes/flickr

State Senator Mark Leno: “When Californians approved the compassionate use of cannabis, they never intended for it to apply only to unemployed people”

The State Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 on Tuesday, approving a bill that would protect California’s medical marijuana patients from discrimination at the workplace.

Senate Bill 129 was introduced by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) in January as an attempt to clarify the legislative intent of the state’s Medical Marijuana Program Act. While clearly establishing a medical marijuana patient’s right to work, SB 129 continues to prohibit on-the-job impairment.

The bill now moves to the Senate floor for an as-of-yet unscheduled vote.

Medical Marijuana Repeal Headed To Montana Governor’s Desk

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 5, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: KXLF

Jackson, caregiver and owner of Green Rx, said he was surprised the Legislature would vote to repeal a voter-passed initiative.

A bill to repeal Montana’s medical marijuana law — and thus thwart the will of an overwhelming 62 percent of voters who approved it in 2004 — has passed both the House and Senate and is now heading to the governor’s desk.

Members of Montana’s medical marijuana community are still asking themselves what happened, pinning their hopes on a veto from Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

It’s surprising that the Legislature would vote to repeal such a popular voter-passed initiative, according to Jim Gingery, executive director of the Montana Medical Growers Association, reports Dan Boyce of KXLF.

“Particularly, one that was supposed to be increasing jobs and helping the economy instead of taking jobs away and hurting patients,” Gingery said.

Marijuana Legalization Bill Dies In Washington Legislature

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 4, 2011 Legislation, News

Photo: 420List.org

A bill that would have legalized marijuana in Washington state — supported by every state legislator from Seattle, as well as the city’s mayor, city attorney and several City Council members — is officially dead in Olympia, the state capitol.

House Bill 1550 didn’t even advance out of the relevant committees by Friday evening, a key cutoff date for the 2011 Legislature, reports Chris Grygiel at the Seattle P.I.

Sponsored by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (D-Seattle), the measure would legalize marijuana, have its sale regulated by the state Liquor Control Board, and impose a tax of 15 percent on cannabis.

Illinois House Kills Industrial Hemp Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 1, 2011 Growing, Legislation

Photo: The Sustainability Ninja

Industrial hemp is a variety of cannabis with almost zero THC. Its fibers are useful for clothing, paper, cosmetics, and fuel.

A bill that would have allowed Illinois farmers to grow industrial hemp was badly defeated Thursday in the state House.

House Bill 1383, sponsored by Rep. Ken Dunkin (D-Chicago), would have allowed farmers to get permits to grow hemp, a low-THC varietal of the cannabis plant. Hemp fiber can be used in clothing, paper, cosmetics, and ethanol, reports Andy Brownfield at the Springfield State Journal-Register.

“This is part of the new green movement across the nation,” Dunkin said. “This will put Illinois ahead of most states.”

Delaware Senate Approves Legalizing Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 1, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: THC Finder

The Delaware Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legalizing medical marijuana, despite reservations from some supporters who said the legislation has flaws.

The bill would allow adults with debilitating illnesses such as HIV or cancer to get authorization from their doctors to buy marijuana from state-licensed dispensaries, reports Chad Livengood at Delaware Online.

On an 18-3 vote, the Senate sent Senate Bill 17 to the House, where supporters believe there are enough votes to get the bill to Gov. Jack Markell’s desk for a signature. Of course, there were a few alarmists who claimed the bill puts Delaware on the path towards legalizing marijuana altogether, as if that’d be the end of the world.

Montana Senate OKs Medical Marijuana Repeal

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 1, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Montana Legislature

Sen. Rowlie Hutton (R-Helena): This moron believes that God wants him to take medical marijuana away from patients. “Sometimes the most compassionate answer you can give is no, you don’t need this,” Hutton, a pastor, said of medical marijuana.

The Montana Senate voted 29-21 on Thursday to repeal Montana’s medical marijuana law after an emotional debate marked by angry finger-pointing by senators from both sides.

After debating for more than an hour, the Senate finally gave preliminary approval to House Bill 161, by Speaker Mike Milburn (R-Cascade), to repeal the state’s medical marijuana law on July 1, reports Charles S. Johnson at the Helena Independent Record. The Senate will take a final vote on the bill Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, the Senate voted 36-14 to send SB 423, which would repeal and overhaul the medical marijuana law, to the House floor after it had stalled in the Senate on Wednesday. Because it missed a key deadline, SB 423 will now require a two-thirds majority in the House to s suspend the bil..

Montana’s medical marijuana law was approved by an overwhelming 62 percent of state voters in 2004.

Milburn said he was asking the House GOP to suspend the rules and take up SB 423 as a second option to the outright repeal bill, which he prefers.

During the debate on HB 161, Sen. Rowlie Hutton (R-Havre) claimed that, as a pastor, he has been asked to participate in “interventions” for people “addicted to marijuana.” He called for making medical marijuana illegal again.

Idaho House Starts Informational Hearings On Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 31, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: WN.com

Committee Chair Rep. Janice McGeachin: “It’s probably much less toxic than a lot of the pharmaceutical drugs that are produced that people take now”

The first hearing to review a bill that would permit the use of marijuana by seriously ill Idaho residents was held on Wednesday, marking the first time such legislation has ever been granted a public hearing in the Idaho House of Representatives.

The Health & Welfare Committee heard testimony in support of HB 19, which would allow seriously and chronically ill Idahoans to use marijuana to treat certain conditions with doctors’ recommendations.

This bill, introduced by Rep. Tom Trail (R-Moscow), contains very specific criteria to qualify for the program and for the production of medical marijuana. If passed, it would be the strictest and most tightly regulated medical marijuana law in the nation — which, unfortunately, also means it would be the least patient-friendly.

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